Ed FitzGerald has yet to define himself as a Democratic candidate for governor in 2014. His first attempt is a stumble. FitzGerald's tapping of state Sen. Eric Kearney as running mate seemed a strategic choice for Democrats. Kearney is a close Obama friend, a cash raiser for the president, and the Ohio Senate minority leader. Downside: He owes $700,000 to $1 million in back taxes.

FitzGerald knew Kearney owed the cash. "Ed considered it an asked-and-

answered, settled issue," said his spokesman, Ed McGrath. Apparently to them, that excuses a 10-year tax-avoidance case. Maybe that's true for Cuyahoga County, where FitzGerald is the county executive.

The tab, according to the Associated Press, is charged to Kearney, his wife Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney and their businesses which produce black-community publications in Cincinnati.

Kearney quit the campaign only when media across the state did their job and questioned his fitness for any office.

What if the press did not expose it? Does such a dirty little secret simply go away?

So the responsibility issue goes back to FitzGerald. He gives us no evidence he thinks Kearney is an ethics bomb. He announced the withdrawal in an email to the press to avoid messy questions.

At exit, FitzGerald lauded his ex-nominee, saying he still has "enormous

respect" for the Senate leader. How many other Democrats feel the same?

Then he sought to redirect the public attention to his campaign against Republican Gov. John Kasich's "faltering economy." That's a maneuver we've come to ridicule: Politician makes a stupid mistake, gets exposed in the media and tries to convert his sudden exposure into a self-serving opportunity. How boring.

Why did he not just ask forgiveness, tell us he's bandaged the wound and

will try to do better? OK, professional handlers would cringe at that clarity.

FitzGerald has presented Kasich's campaign with deadly ammunition. The governor does not have to debase himself and mention it. Would voters overlook FitzGerald's judgment on $1 million in unpaid taxes? You be the judge.